Knives and Princesses
by isaygold1987
Summary: (DISCLAIMER: This is in a personal headcanon of mine. Some things within the story may not be accurate to the official lore.) One cold, rainy night, Kiara finds a strange lion cub outside of Pride Rock with a strange object stuck in his head. He goes under the name Kisu, and while he seems harmless and humble, his intentions and origin are unknown. Can this new cub be trusted?
1. Lost and Found

**A/N: Oh hey, I exist!**

**Yeah, I totally forgot I had a fanfiction account. Thankfully, I remembered recently, because I have been itching to write this story. Yeah, I know, it's another "The Lion King self-insert story", I know, but trust me, this will be interesting... Hopefully..**

**In this story, we are introduced to Kisu, a young, humble, aichmophobic cub whos family was murdered by humans. Kiara finds him one night with several injuries, and begs her parents to keep him to nurse him back to health, and even possibly, adopt him into the pride. Kisu faces struggles of his own, however. What other secrets could Kisu be hiding? Who even IS Kisu? Is he here to stay? You might want to stick around, fellow reader, for you are in for a journey!** **This is my first fic in a while, sorry if it sucks, lol. Enjoy, I guess!**

**-RedRabbit1987**

* * *

"Daddy?" A young, feminine voice called out. "Daddy, wake up.."

The rain was pouring outside in the Pride Lands, and little Kiara was having trouble sleeping that night. She's tried effortlessly for the past few minutes to wake up her mother and father, but to no avail. Either the rain outside was too heavy, or her parents were in a deep sleep. The rain wasn't of her concern, however. She had slept through worse storms. She could have sworn that in all that splashing and rumbing from above, she could have sworn she heard other noises through the storm. She listened carefully to confirm her suspicion and got a quiet, almost vocally-resemblant noise. She knew that if she went out there to check on what it was, she'd get into serious trouble, but her curiosity was grabbing a hold of her, and she wanted to know what the extra noises were all about.

Before she walked out to the mouth of Pride Rock, she looked over to Tiifu and Zuri, her royal advisors and best friends. For a moment, she considered waking them up and asking them for assistance, but then again, it would be harder for them than it would be for her. She knew that Zuri had been very sleep-deprived lately, thanks to Tiifu's new tendency to wake up in the middle of the night constantly begging for things, such as water, a massage, and sometimes, even just to have someone to talk to. Tiifu had never liked the dark, and Kiara fully understood that, so that marked her off. As for Zuri, she could wake her up, but at what cost? She was mad enough that Tiifu's been waking her up, but she's been hearing strange noises, too. There was no possible way that she was going out there without forcing Kiara to give her pedicures for the next week or two. Besides, Kiara felt like Zuri deserved this night of rest, despite what might happen.

Kiara ultimately decided to do what was best at the moment, and that was to go out and explore. She peaked out of the mouth of the cave and right off the bat, she was blinded by mist. She listened for more noises, and caught what sounded like coughing, coming from the left side of the den. She raced out and around, and saw the silhouette of something laying on the ground, with something sticking out of its head. A horn or an antler, perhaps?

When she stepped closer, she heard it start groaing. It sounded similar to a young lion cub, but that couldn't be. The only other cub she met was Kovu, and even then, he sounded nothing like him, and they weren't even of the same pride or family anyways. Suddenly, the figure moved what seemed to be its head, more moaning and groaning of pain could be heard.

"Hello?" Kiara quietly called out. In return, however, she just got a series of loud coughs. "Who are you?" she continued.

The figure looked up slowly and managed to exhale the only two words he was able to say before dropping limp once more;

"Help.. Me..."

Hearing this, Kiara looked for a spot on the figure to grab. She tugged on the thing sticking out of its head, and with enough force, Kiara accidentally yanked it out. The figure then unleashed a loud and long scream of pain, frustration, and relief. Kiara was frantically shushing the creature, trying to calm it down before it woke everyone else up. Once she got it to calm down, she spoke.

"I'm so sorry, I can't really see what I'm doing.." she explained as she grabbed the shady feline-like figure by a loose tuft of fur.

When she dragged the figure back to Pride Rock, also taking the object sticking out of its head with her, she inspected the creature. What she had found was a small, young, male lion cub. His body was structurally similar to Kovu, her old, forbidden friend from the Outlands that she met a while back, and Kion, her older brother and the leader of the Lion Guard. He had a raggedy tuft of fur on his head, in a deep shade of red, which contrasted against most of his fur, which was pale tan and light beige. His eyes were a glowing emerald green, something she could even see from the shadows. Perhaps the most defining feature of all, however, was a deep penetration wound on the right side of his forehead. Kiara looked back at the object lodged in that very spot and could define its feagures as well. It was a stained, partially shiny metalic blade with a leather handle of sorts. She had no idea what this was, but that didn't matter now. This kid was losing blood and losing it **fast**. She ran and headbutted into her mother in a final attempt to wake her up.

"Kiara? What's wrong hun?" Nala drowsily questioned her daughter.

"Mom, I found a cub outside with a strange thing stuck in his head! I think he's dying!" Kiara explained, scared out of her mind for the strange lion cub.

Nala immediately jumped up at this and looked around until she saw him. She noted his terrible, life threatening condition and without thinking, she ran out to get Rafiki.

* * *

When the queen returned, she was being followed by a mandrill with a staff and natural herbs and medications. Rafiki looked at the cub and took note of the huge gash in his forehead.

"This may take some time," the baboon said in a semi-deep African accent. "Nothing that can't be fixed if I work quickly.."

Kiara watched in fear as Rafiki worked on the cub, rubbing herbs and juices all over his head. Within a matter of 30 excruciatingly delongated minutes, the cub was considered "mended", despite still having a huge gash in his head and that there was still pain lingering within his brain.

"Thanks so much, Rafiki!" Nala stated, thanking the monkey for his work. The mandrill turned around as soon as she gave thanks, nodding as a silent sign of a "you're welcome".

"Kiara, the next time this happens, please try to get our attention, or get one of your friends to come with you.. We'd hate for something bad to happen.." Nala worriedly scolded her daughter.

"Yes mom, sorry mom.." she said in response. She turned around and headed back to bed without questions or retaliation. As soon as she turned around, she found that the den was lighter than it was, meaning the sun was starting to rise. She looked over and found that the cub was dead asleep, but he was still breathing. As the sun started to rise, she could note some more of his features, namely his claws, which were all plucked off entirely. She also noticed how stained and ruffled his fur was. He seemed to be slathered with reddish splotches here and there. There was also a noticable ammount of mud on him, which could be easily washed off. However, despite all this, there was a rather pleasant smell emitting from his fur. She couldn't tell what it was, but she knew it smelled good. She then got an idea. A possibly dangerous idea that her mother might say no to, but it was worth a shot.

"Mommy, can I sleep with him tonight? Please?" she pleaded.

Nala thought this over hard. Should she really let her daughter sleep with some rogue they've only known for 30 minutes, or should she refuse? She wanted to be nice to her daughter, but she wanted to keep her safe at the same time. She loved Kiara, and she might soon love the cub, but she didn't know what to think of him at the moment.

"Sorry sweetie, but no. We've only known him for so long. We don't know who he is, where he came from, what his intentions are.. I'm sorry.." Nala felt terrible just seeing Kiara's face. It was that face that looked like a mix of "Why, God?! Why is life so unfair?!" and "Ok, I understand, I won't ask again." She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but at the same time, she showed acceptance in her mother's demand. Nala didn't feel right just saying "No", like it was some final conclusion, like she was never meant to talk to him, or even look at him again.

"I'll tell you what," Nala added on. "I'll let you spend the whole day with him tomorrow and see how it goes. You can show him around the Pride Lands if you want! Just-"

"Yes mommy, I know, 'Don't go too far or Daddy's gonna lose his mane'. Been there, done that." Kiara responded, laughing.

Nala, despite getting interrupted, was a freegoing type of person. Aggressive when she needed to be, but she wouldn't dare be harsh on Kiara, she didn't have the heart. Therefore, she found herself laughing too. Kiara then went back to her spot and layed back down and went back to rest

* * *

The Cub woke up in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar sounds and smells, with unfamiliar people. He couldn't remember what happened last night, other than the ambush on his home. Earlier that night, he remembered an ambush on his home, courtesy of some strange beings that resembled hairless gorillas of sorts. When he looked around, he spotted a female cub laying on the opposite side of the den. She woke up, stretched, and walked over to him.

"W-What are you doing? Who even a-are you?!" the cub exclaimed, scared and confused out of his mind.

"Shh, it's ok!" Kiara spoke up. "It's me, remember? I saved you last night!"

"Oh.. Deepest apologies, ma'am. I can't seem to remember much.." the cub humbly apologized.

"No, it's ok, really. I'm Kiara, by the way."

"That's a cute name, I love it."

Before Kiara could respond, she was met with Simba, her father.

"Good morning, Kiara. Who's this?" he asked in a friendly, yet stern manner. The cub was shocked to see the king of the Pride Lands standing right before him.

"King Simba, sire!" the cub spoke up. "I apologize for my unannounced arrival.."

"Daddy, let me explain," Kiara worriedly responded. "This is a cub I found outside last night with a strange object stuck in his head. I never got to ask for his name. I'm so sorry, but he's injured. Can we please keep him until he's nursed back to health?" the princess pleaded with her father. The cub was shocked to find out that her savior was the daughter of the king, which makes her the Princess of the Pride Lands.

"Princess Kiara? Permission to speak, ma'am?" the cub spoke up in a polite and gentle manner. Kiara was, understandably, quite surprised. No one has ever referred to her as "Princess Kiara" before and meant it. Though, she did appreciate that someone was finally taking her seriously.

"Permission granted," she responded to the cub, who was kneeling at the royals' paws.

"Once again, deepest apologies for my unannounced arrival. You may call me Kisu, or any other fitting name you wish," the cub spoke. "The object in my head is something that humans, a highly advanced species of hairless apes, call a 'knife', hence my name. My family was also killed by these humans, not out of vengeance or a vendetta, but simply out of primitive survival instinct."

The king then spoke up, "Thank you, Kisu. I'll be sure to notify the guard to inspect the borders of the Pride Lands for any signs of these 'humans' that you speak of. Considering your circumstances, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like."

"Thank you deeply, King Simba, sire. I am forever in your debt." Kisu replied, thrilled to have a new home and, hopefully, a new family.

Kiara then noticed her friends waking up from across the den. "Hey Kisu, follow me, there's some people I'd like you to meet!" she called out. Kisu, being the humble servant he was always taught to be, followed close behind the princess. Close enough for subtle comfort, but far enough as to not irritate her. As Kisu walked across the vast interior of Pride Rock, he saw two more lioness cubs, both with a tan-ish color to their fur. They looked similar, yet different. Almost as if they were sisters. Suddenly, one of them started speaking.

"Ugh, Tiifu, that was another terrible night of sleep," Zuri exclaimed, kicking up dust out of frustration, being careful as to not tear a claw, however.

"Sorry Zuri, must have been the buffalo.." Tiifu stated apologetically.

"That was your STOMACH making all those noises?!"

"What noises?"

Kiara then stepped in and greeted the two. "Hey girls!" she chimed in. "There's someone I want you to meet. His name is Kisu, I found him outside last night in the rain with a strange blade stuck in his head." The two girls looked over at the young cub and saw how pitiful he looked.

"Aww you poor thing!" Tiifu spoke up.

"I know! His fur is all ruffled!" Zuri added.

"It's a preference," Kisu responded. "Apologies if I look unpresentable otherwise."

"Kisu, this is Tiifu and Zuri," Kiara told her new friend, pointing to them as she called their names out respectively.

"Very wonderful and fitting names, I must say. You both look very beautiful. You all do," the injured red-maned cub stated, complimenting the two ladies. "I haven't formally met you two and I like you already!" He turned to Kiara and asked, "Princess Kiara, in what role do they play in your service?"

"They're my royal advisors, cousins, and best friends," she replied.

"So, any plans for today?" Tiifu jumped up in excitement, awaiting an answer.

Zuri chimed in after being pushed over by Tiifu's excitement. "Sweet kings above, Tiifu! Calm yourself down before you tear down the walls and send the cave crashing down on us!"

"Might I make a suggestion, Princess Kiara?" Kisu humbly asked.

"Sure thing!" the princess replied.

"I'm new to these 'Pride Lands'.. I was wondering if you could.." Kisu's voice trailed off in hesitation. "..Show me around?"

"Absolutely!" Kiara responded energetically. "Let's go, ladies! Our new friend requests a tour!"

The four walked out of the den as Simba and Nala watched them set off to introduce Kisu to his new place of residency.

* * *

**A/N: So yeah, first chapter is done! Again, sorry if it's below you guys' expectations. I'm really rusty at writing fanfics, especially ones with OCs in them.**

**Hope you enjoyed! Maybe? Hopefully?**


	2. Marafiki

**A/N: Yay, another chapter to this story that nobody cares about! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Princess Kiara," Kisu stated worriedly. "This is pretty high up.. Are you sure this is safe?"

The group of 4 was sitting on the top of Pride Rock to get a good view of the Pride Lands. The view was lovely from up top, needless to say.

"Don't worry, me and my dad have been up here plenty of times to watch the sunrise," Kiara responded, soothing Kisu a bit. "Dad himself even went up here when he was Tiifu's age, same with his father, and his father's father... Or, so I was told."

"Kiara, should we, like, maybe get down from here?" Zuri started whining, per usual. "It's really high, and I might fall off!" Tiifu did her best to comfort her, but truth be told, she was just as scared as she was.

"Calm down ladies, this isn't about you. We're letting Kisu get his look at the Pride Lands. So whenever he's ready to come down, that's when we go-" Kiara was cut off by the sound of gravel shifting. Kisu got up and started walking back down.

"What's wrong, Kisu?" the princess asked her new friend, concerned she might have hurt his feelings.

"Nothing," he said. "I've just noticed that your friends don't like it up here, and I don't want to scare anyone for my own selfish purposes. So do forgive me for my abrupt choice of leaving. It is a beautiful sight, indeed, but I cannot enjoy it if everyone else is suffering."

"Kisu, you don't have to do this, really. We'll be fine." Tiifu answered.

"We will NOT!" Zuri dramatically shouted in response, which only earned her a claw to her mouth in an attempt to shut her up.

"No, it's ok, trust me. Besides, we're about to see everything in person anyways, right?" Kisu added. "I'm only happy if you're all happy."

"Kisu, that's very thoughtful of you!" Kiara complimented as the others walked down the back of Pride Rock and into the Pride Lands. Kisu, while partially regretting he didn't stay longer, understood that his new friends were scared, and he didn't want to see them suffer any longer. With that, they all headed down and went to the side of the rock.

* * *

"Ok Lion Guard, ready to start our morning patrol?" Kion, the guard's fiercest member, and the leader of the bunch, asked his teammates, to which they all responded with "Yes" in some way, shape, or form.

"Good moring Kion!" Kiara shouted to her brother from the distance.

"Oh, hey Kiara!" he responded.

"Hey, who's the new guy?" Bunga blurted out, spotting Kisu.

Kiara urged Kisu to go up and introduce himself, whilst Tiifu and Zuri nudged him in front of the guard. Kisu felt nervous, needless to say.

"Hello.. I'm Kisu, someone from the outskirts of the Pride Lands.. King Simba has invited me to stay with him until a home can be found for me... If one can ve found at all, that is.." Kisu introduced himself, followed by a nervous chuckle.

"Well, I'm Kion, leader of the Lion Guard. I see you've already met my sister Kiara and her friends?"

"Yes sir, I have!" Kisu bowed down to Kion, realizing he too is in the royal family.

"Okay..." Kion awkwardly stated, seeing Kisu bow before him. "Over here we have Bunga, the bravest, Fuli, the fastest, Beshte, the strongest, and Ono, the keenest of sight." Kion introduced the guard one by one, all the while, Kisu stayed bowed down.

"Uh.. Kiara?" Kion asked, feeling extremely weirded out.

"It's a thing he does," Kiara responded. "He tends to treat everyone like royalty.. Not sure why though.."

"I do it simply because you _are _royalty, and you all simply deserve the appreciation!" Kisu explained, followed by a very quiet murmur. "Of course, I don't deserve any of it.. What good am I?"

"Sorry, what was that?" Kiara asked, having heard him mutter something.

"I don't recall saying anything of importance, ma'am." Kisu stated. "It was nice to meet you guys, by the way.

"Same with you, Kisu! Enjoy your stay!" Kion yelled back as they ran off for their patrol, meanwhile, the girls and Kisu ran off to see the Pride Lands.

* * *

Hours passed, and Kisu got familiarized with everything and everyone. From what he gathered, Kiara was the future princess who is being forced against her will into royalty, Zuri is a drama queen who never got to meet her father, and Tiifu is an adorable, faithful, little miss, who will do just about anything you tell her to. Kisu had no idea what they all thought of him, but Kisu loved (not liked, **loved**) his new friends, and possibly, soon-to-be family, and although he wasn't confident that they all felt the same about him, he was sure that they were definitely going to remain friends for a long time. Kisu was getting lost in thought over his new friends until..

"I can't do this anymore!" came a whine out of Zuri's mouth. "My paws are killing me!" she plopped down on the ground, blowing on her paws in an attempt to "cool them down". When she stuck one of her paws up, she stuck out her claws to "give them some air".

Kisu saw the extremely long, sharp blades coming out of Zuri's paws. It was like deja vu was about to not-so-subtly creep its way into Kisu's day. Kisu had always feared sharp objects, but the previous night had amplified that fear to over a million. To say he was terrified at this moment would be an understatement. Tears almost immediately flooded his eyes. Tears of, not just fear, but betrayal.

"Kisu, what's wrong-" before Kiara could even finish asking, Kisu broke down in tears. He just sat there, loudly sobbing, bawling his eyes out, and the girls had no reason why until Zuri spoke up.

"What's the matter dear? Don't you like my extra shiny claws of absolute gorgeousness?"

Kisu tried to respond in the kindest way possible, but couldn't muster the proper words to say. He wanted to tell Zuri that her claws were scaring him, but instead wound up exclaiming, "Please don't kill me! I'm so sorry if I did anything wrong, but please do spare me! I wish for another chance to live and prove myself worthy to you!"

Kiara, Tiifu, and Zuri were speechless. Especially Zuri. Zuri had never felt more hurt in her entire life.

"Do you think my claws are ugly?!" Zuri, who entirely misinterpreted what Kisu was saying, was heartbroken. For years, her entire life, even, she had wanted to be the prettiest lioness in the Pride Lands, and for someone to finally fess up and tell her that her nails were ugly put a whole new leash on her life. Have people been lying to her this whole time? Is she really ugly? Zuri herself was on the verge of tears as well, but she tried to refrain from breaking down so easily.

"Zuri, that's not what he meant.. I think you scared him." Tiifu tried to rationalize with her sister.

"Kisu.. Are you.. afraid of me?" Zuri asked the cub, trying not to sound offended or heartbroken in any way.

"No ma'am.. I'm so sorry for my sudden outburst, Madamé Zuri.." he said in between sobs. "I-I just was startled when you..."

Kiara began to realize what was going on at this point. She had gathered that it wasn't Zuri he was scared of. It was her claws.

"Kisu, are you scared of sharp objects?" Kiara caringly asked her newfound friend. In response, he slowly nodded. He didn't dare say a word, for if he did, another painful sob would utter out.

"Kisu, you don't have to hide it. Everyone's scared of something. I'm scared of the dark." Tiifu added.

"I'm scared of the unknown.. Sometimes the things I don't know are the scariest to me.." Kiara put in her two cents. "And Zuri is just scared of everything, so it seems." Kiara said sarcastically.

"I am not!" the sassy drama queen responded. "I'm just scared of ugliness!"

Kisu chuckled a bit, but turned his back to them to continue letting his tears flow by himself. While he was only satisfied if everyone else was happy, deep down inside, he needed his needs suited. In that case, his top priority was seeking comfort. Not just for mainly everyone else, but also for himself.

"You know, Kisu, there are some things you **_don't_** have to ask permission for," Kiara brought up his humbleness once more. "A hug is one of them."

Kisu lit up at this statement. He ran over to Kiara, even though they were only a few feet away, he ran like a mad lad all the way over to her and nuzzled her, crying into her neck. Tiifu joined in, followed by, eventually, Zuri.

The group stayed together for a good few minutes before disbanding and heading back out onto their group tour of the Pride Lands.

* * *

Soon enough, the quartet made their way over to the Southeastern Boarder, close to the Outlands.

"Is that the Outlands?" Tiifu asked, slightly intrigued.

"It sure is.. We should probably be heading the other way.." Kiara said, trying to cut things short. She, obviously, didn't want her friends knowing about her little "incident" with the crocodiles and Kovu.

"I've been over there before. Out of curiosity, of course." Kisu stated. "When I was there, I met a girl, someone in our age group. When I met her, she was about your age, Madamé Zuri."

"Ooh~" Zuri was sparked by this compliment. "About time someone gave me some well-deserved respect! Y'know Kisu, I'm beginning to like you a little bit-"

"Careful, Zuri, you might dislocate a shoulder patting yourself on the back," Kiara playfully interrupted her friend.

"Or you might choke on your words before you can get them all out!" Tiifu added with an innocent little giggle.

"Oh shut up, at least I'm not the one who's got Daddy watching over me every 5 minutes!" Zuri snapped back at Kiara, who was blushing a bit from embarrassment. She made a valid point. Her father always had Timon and Pumbaa out watching her 24/7. She wouldn't be surprised if they were stalking her right now, as a matter of fact.

"Madamé Zuri.. Permisson to question something that might be.. Personal?" Kisu humbly asked.

"Yeah, sure" she responded, not really paying attention to him, and more or less staring off into the wasteland that was the Outlands.

"This might come off as offensive, perhaps, but I just wanted to know.. What happened to _your_ father?"

Zuri stopped dead in her tracks, almost as if to let the question sink in. The truth was, she never properly knew her father, and nor did Tiifu. All she knew was that her mother had given birth to the two girls with no recollection of mating anyone. She once heard that her mother was raped in her sleep. That would seem to be the more logical explanation, unless the Great Kings above decided to give the lonely lioness, known as Tama, a miracle for once.

"I.. I never knew him.. Wish I did though.." Zuri said in response to shake it off her shoulders as fast as she could.

"I deeply apologize.. Maybe one day we'll find him.. Perhaps.."

The group of 4 decided to set back out and head back home. It had been a long day, and the four were tired. Besides, dinner should have been ready by now.

* * *

"Thank you for showing me around today, Princess Kiara," Kisu spoke up soon after they got home. "..and thank you two ladies for coming along."

"No problem!" Tiifu responded, energetic as usual.

"Great meeting you. See you around, dear!~" Zuri called out as her and Tiifu walked back to their mother, whilst Kiara and Kisu went over to Simba and Nala. Kion was also there, joining the family. Apparently, buffalo was on the menu tonight, and it looked appetizing, needless to say. Kiara sat down next to a usually empty spot. It had only occured to her now that this spot was just a spare, and Kisu could easily sit there.

"Daddy, can Kisu sit in this empty spot next to you for tonigh-"

"NO!" Simba accidentally lashed out at his daughter. "I mean.. No, dear. That spot is special.. It belonged to..."

"Daddy please tell me! I promise I can keep it a secret!"

"No, Kiara.. Some things are just.. Best left forgotten... For now.." Simba said hesitantly, trying to fight back tears. "Kisu can sit here if he would like."

Nala looked over at her groom and saw he was distressed, and only she knew what it was about. "Simba.. I know it's hard to let go-"

"Nala, I can't just let go of a family member! He was our son!"

"Daddy, what's going on? Why are you yelling?"

"This doesn't concern you now, Kiara. Just eat."

"Simba, calm down!"

"I'm perfectly calm, Nala! I guess I'm just not calm enough to where I can forget about HIM.."

"Simba, listen to me-"

"Why should I?! All you did was try to hide it all from me!"

"I know what she did, but that wasn't my fault-"

"YOU WERE WATCHING HIM!"

"SIMBA IT WAS OUT OF MY CONTROL-"

"Sire! Danger in the Pride Lands!" Zazu flew in, chirping. "Ape-like creatures have been spotted roaming around outside!"

As if Simba and Nala yelling at each other wasn't bad enough, Kisu was being indirectly told that he was, basically, being screwed over nice and heavily. Kion started to walk out of the den when suddenly, he was stopped by Simba.

"No, Kion. This, I'm afraid, is a threat you and the guard aren't ready to handle yet."

"Dad, what are you talking about? What's going on? Why are you suddenly all paranoid?" Kion tried to question his father in the nicest way possible.

"Kion, this is a topic for another day, just gather the cubs and take them to the lair for the night," Simba urged as he rushed out the door with the other lionesses. Nala stayed behind to nuzzle her kids, plus Kisu, and run off close behind.

"Tiifu, Zuri, Babu, get into the lair! Me and the Guard will meet you inside!"

Kisu knew the dangers of these hairless apes, and he knew that, regardless of how many friends he made, he was in for one long night.

* * *

**A/N: So, a bit shorter than last time, but I provided a bit of lore with this one, so I hope that makes up for it. Other than that I was just out of ideas.****But yeah, with a cliffhanger like that, I wonder what's gonna happen next? Guess you'll have to figure out the next time I update this thing.. Perhaps.. Nobody really reads this thing anyways..**


	3. Sleepover in the Lair

**A/N: So, some of you might have noticed that I had Kion call out someone named Babu (who's name translates over to Grandfather, despite being a teenage cub at this point in time). For those of you who don't know, Babu is a very obscure character from Vulture Shock, who mocks Kopa for misunderstanding a family tree. He can be seen next to a tree, laughing on his back, in an illustration. Since no one seems to acknowledge his existance, I figured I'd be the first person to add him in a fanfiction. Because let's be honest, our boy Babu needs some love.**

* * *

The group of friends made their way to the Lion Guard lair. Inside, the rest of the guard was waiting somewhere. Bunga was taking a swim, Fuli was taking a nap, and Ono and Beshte were having an.. Interesting conversation, to say the least.

"So, what's your Mom like?" the egret questioned his large friend.

"My mom?" the hippo started. "She, uh.. Kind of.. Left?"

"Left?"

"Yeah, I heard she went to join the circus or something.. I also heard she tried to get with my Uncle.. Or was it the other way around?"

"Who _is _your Uncle, anyways?"

"I think his name was 'Moto-Moto'.. Or something like that.. I dunno, never knew him."

Once Kion walked in, he took note of what the guard was doing and called them together for a meeting. Meanwhile, Kisu and the girls got settled in. Zuri, however, complained the whole time they were setting up camp.

"Ugh! This place smells! Did Bunga fart again?" was one of her many questions and primary concerns, alongside "The ground is too muddy!", "There are too many rocks everywhere!" "It's too uncomfortable!" and the commonly blurted out "I think I might break a claw!" Normally, Kiara would make amends to shut her up, but considering the situation, she had no choice but to try to ignore it. Tiifu was also trying her hardest to ignore her complaints as well. However, Kisu, being the gentleman he was always told to be, tried to do everything for his new (apparent) master. Zuri has always been a spoiled child. More spoiled than Kiara, one might say, though this was taking it to a whole new level. Kiara thought about stopping him, but she decided that it was working. Whatever he did, as long as it got Zuri to shut up, she was ok with.

One particular cub noticed this and went up to the quartet to drop in his two cents.

"Ugh, kids these days.. Always begging for things they know they'll never recieve, and somehow, by some miracle, they get it anyways!" the teenage cub said out loud.

"O-Oh.. I'm sorry sir, I was only trying to help out-" Kisu responded in an attempt to apologize, but was interrupted by the teen lion.

"Hey.. I don't recall seeing you around these parts... Though you look familiar... Almost like somebody I used to know..."

"I do?"

"Yeah, like that one kid who thought a family tree was an actual tree.." He let out a hearty laugh just thinking of the incident. "Oh man, Kopa sure was a nutcase!"

Kiara's ears perked up at that name.

Kopa. Kiara had heard that name dropped and sprinkled throughout conversations between her parents here and there. She never knew what it was supposed to mean, or who it was. All she knew was that it was something, or someone, that her parents knew about, and something happened to them. Now was her chance to learn the truth.

"That name.. I've heard it before... Who is Kopa?" the curious princess asked.

"Your dad hasn't told you yet?" the cub asked with an eyebrow raised. "Man, is being a weirdo just a thing that runs in the family, or?"

"Get to the point, Babu. I don't have all night to figure out who this "Kopa" person is!"

"Alright Princess, if you so insist.." Babu sat down and prepped himself for a long tale.

"Before you were born, Uncle, er, KING Simba had a son named Kopa. His name lived up to its purpose. Me, him, and this chick named uh.." he paused for a minute. "What was it, Shetani or something?" I dunno, doesn't matter. Anyways, Me, him, and this tough chick used to play pranks all the time! That was.. Until that day.."

"What happened?" Kion butted in, overhearing the story.

"Best not tell you two now.. Your daddy would KILL ME if I told you. All I can say is.. His fate is the reason he's so overprotective over you two.."

Kisu was overhearing all of this and taking it all in. He remembered the girl from the Outlands thinking he was someone named Kopa. Boy, was _that_ awkward...

"Kiara, I'm kinda hungry, you?" Zuri asked her friend, who was she was lost in thought.

"Kiara?" Tiifu waved her paw in front of her face to try and get her attention, but to no avail.

Zuri then tried snapping her claws together, which seemed to snap her out of it (no pun intended).

"Yeah, sorry, I kind of left it back in the den.." Kiara finally responded. "So, what else is on the menu for tonight?"

Bunga popped up out of the water after hearing this. "Why, only the finest, most perfect-est, most delectable-ly-licious-est grubs!" the honey badger explained in a climactic manner, holding a leaf tray full of grubs.

"Ew, gross! I'm not eating all that!" Zuri whined per usual.

"Um, I'd rather not.. Last time I ate a caterpillar, I had bad gas for a week.."

"Tiifu, you've ALWAYS had bad gas. Whenever you let go, the grass literally DIES behind you!"

"That's not true!" Tiifu said, feeling slightly insulted.

"Thanks but no thanks, Bunga.." Kiara and Kion wound up saying in unison.

"Come on ladies, they can't be THAT bad!" Babu bargained.

"Would YOU put one in your mouth?" Zuri replied.

"Absolutely not!" he answered.

"I'll.. I'll take one for the team.." Kisu said, bravely as he grabbed a grub and slurped it down. He cringed at how simultaneously sweet and sour it tasted, though it wasn't as bad as he thought. He couldn't see himself doing it again in the near future, however. "That actually wasn't too bad.." he said to himself.

"Finally someone gets it!" Bunga exclaimed in excitement that he had a new grub-eating buddy. He then went back over to pig out on some more grubs to himself.

Kisu then suddenly realized that he had just embarrassed himself in front of all of his friends. His _ONLY _friends. After seeing their reactions, mixed with shock, hysteria, and sickness, he immediately felt embarrased and kneeled down in front of the ladies in shame. He was kneeled down all the way, as if he was about to be executed for a crime.

"Kisu.." Kiara said to him. "It's ok, I promise. It's not the end of the world."

"Ooh! Maybe we can play a game to pass the time!" Tiifu suggested, piping up a bit.

"Can we _not_ play I Spy?" Zuri complained. "If we do, Ono's gonna get involved, and he always picks hard spots!" Ono, of course, overheard and rolled his eyes. Zuri continued with her ranting and raving, offending each of the guard members, save for Beshte, considering he's more easygoing. "We can't play tag because Fuli runs too fast, if we play Hide and Seek, Bunga always creates a Dutch oven, and Beshte's too big to do anything!"

"SWEET KINGS, ZURI! WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP ALREADY?!" Kiara raised her voice to the top of her lungs, practically screaming at Zuri. This caught everyone in the room off guard. Even Bunga, who was the bravest creature in the Pride Lands, tore himself away from his grubs to stare at Kiara in awe. She even scared _herself_ screaming at Zuri. However, if there was anyone in the room who was the most scared, it was Kisu.

Kisu had only been yelled at once in his life, and that was when he snuck out of the house late at night and almost drowned in the pond in front of his den. This wasn't entirely out of anger, though. His mother was scared, scared of losing the only thing she had left after her husband passed away. This, however, was entirely out of anger, frustration, and to an extent, hatred. Kisu could almost sense the negative energy spouting out from Kiara's mouth. He was scared, honestly. He had never been one for fights, especially not ones featuring his best friends.

"Don't tell me to shut up! Who do you think you are?!" Zuri rebuttled back

"I am your best friend and future queen, and until Daddy gets back, the one who's watching over you all!" Kiara responded. "Who are _you _to rule over _me_?!"

"You don't even know how old I am!"

The two spouted back and forth whilst Kisu and Tiifu were forced to watch in horror. The latter decided to try and stop this.

"Guys, please stop-"

"ZIP IT, MOUSE EARS!" Zuri shouted out to her sister.

Tiifu had never felt more hurt in her entire life. Zuri had never yelled at her before, nor has she ever called her names. Needless to say, Tiifu was heartbroken by this. Tiifu plopped back down on her bottom and onto the ground, sitting down with one of the saddest faces ever imaginable. At first, no one seemed to take notice in how sad she looked.. That was, until the sobs echoed throughout the room..

At first it was just a few tear drops and shaky breathing, but it soon escalated from simply crying to bawling her eyes out very quickly. To add to the shock factor, no one had ever seen or heard Tiifu cry before. There might have been times where she's whined or been on the verge of tears, but nothing further than that. This was taking it way beyond and to another level.

Babu had had enough of this crud, and as the oldest in the room, to assert his dominance, he let out a decently deepened, well-strengthened roar.

"ENOUGH ALREADY!" he yelled after roaring his lungs out. "If we're gonna be spending the night here together, I suggest we all get comfortable with not only EACH OTHER, but also our surroundings."

"But-" Zuri tried to add in her two cents, but was cut off by a paw slap to the face.

"Did I ASK for an answer?!" Babu, who's heart was racing a million beats a minute, yelled back at Zuri, who was soon to have a bad bruise on her face within minutes. From that moment onward, Zuri did something even she didn't think she could do; shut up and stay quiet.

Kisu had no idea what he just witnessed, but at the end of the day, he could tell it was going to be a long night..

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, hey, sorry for the shorter chapter. Didn't have many ideas for this one. Hopefully the next one will be better, perhaps.**


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